Transition Focus from Family-Owned to Value-Added

Dear Sam: I am seeking a job as an Accounting/Operations Manager. Half of my experience (aside from education) comes from running a family-owned (i.e., my husband is the President) business. I've been meeting with recruiters and submitting my résumé for consideration online for certain opportunities, without much luck. Could working for a family business affect my ability to get a job? How do I overcome this challenge? - Elena

Dear Elena: Absolutely, often presenting experience with a family business is immediately discredited as it is assumed you did not have to do too much to get the job nor keep it. It is so unfortunate that this can be the assumption, or that other inaccurate assumptions are made, because having worked for a family-owned business―growing up―and now as a business owner myself, I know how hard you must have worked and the value you gained in being given the opportunity to wear multiple hats during your tenure.

To overcome this, you need to present your experience in the same way as you would any other professional experience. If it is difficult to hide the fact that this is a family business (i.e., if the business has your last name in it), then I would pull out highlights of your career and place them in their own section before presenting the employer’s name, your title, and the remainder of your professional experience section. If the company name will not immediately be seen as a family business, then you could present a more traditional reverse-chronological résumé. The point would be not to showcase that you worked for a family business, so as to avoid the reader discounting the experience.

I mentioned presenting this experience in the same manner as any other professional position, as I see a lot of résumés from candidates who really dilute their experience which occurred in a family business. Another fault I see often is candidates who try to communicate too much about the diversity of their experiences, positioning themselves as a jack of all trades and a master of none. Just be careful to present select aspects of your background (i.e., those operations- and accounting-related) that are going to market you well for your current career objective. Best of luck to you!

Dear Sam: I read your column every week and need some assistance. I have had to leave a position involuntarily and I am not sure how to handle this in my résumé as well as the interview. I have 30+ years of professional experience, so you can imagine that this came as a shock. I am a self-starter, motivated to do a good job, and educated. Everyone who knows me is in shock. So, I am on a new path for a career change and looking faithfully every day for a new opportunity! I need some suggestions on how to handle this. – LK

Dear LK: I'm sorry to hear that you were let go from your position. As you haven't had to look for a job in some time, I am sure this is a difficult situation. Let's first address the résumé. There is no reason to include the reason for leaving a position on a résumé, so really that is not a concern. You can, however, utilize certain strategies within your résumé to curb some of the negativity hiring managers may feel when they hear that you were let go involuntarily.

As you have 30+ years of experience, I am assuming that you had many good performance evaluations. If so, pull out quotes from some of them to include at the top of your résumé. This will be great reinforcement when you tell the hiring manager that your separation came as a shock. If you don't have access to these, try to have a former peer or supervisor write a recommendation letter from which you can pull out quotes and also present at the interview. If you still have a good relationship with your former manager, you could also ask for a letter from him/her attesting to your performance, only if you feel doing so would result in a positive reference.

Additionally, be sure that you focus your résumé on your past accomplishments; doing so will diminish the impact of an assumption that you were let go for performance reasons. Also, include the promotions you have had over your tenure to show that you were rewarded for a job well done.

Next, you will need to formulate a response for the inevitable "Why did you leave your last employer?" question. First, try to put aside your hurt feelings, as hard as that can be at a time like this, as it is crucial that you not portray any sort of anger or assignment of blame during an interview. Instead, prepare a confident and honest response to the question, ending on a positive note focusing on what the experience taught you. Perhaps this could be related to affording you the opportunity to assess what you want to do at this juncture in your career, and seek a position where you are a match for the organization, its culture, and your shared goals. All the best.

Dear Sam: I am in a quandary and need some advice. I have more than 15 years of experience in the human resources arena, look at hundreds of résumés each week, and can't seem to create an effective résumé marketing MY skills! As evaluating the effectiveness of a résumé is part of my daily job, I find it frustrating and mildly amusing that I can't seem to write my own. Also, as human resources people are going to be looking at my résumé, I'm finding it difficult to figure out what to tell them that they don't already know. How should I go about developing an effective résumé as a seasoned HR manager? – Sonya

Dear Sonya: Don't feel bad; I have heard the same comments time and time again from the majority of my clients in the human resources field. Perhaps, as you know so much about résumé writing and are trained to have a critical eye when reviewing résumé content, it is difficult to have the objectivity you need when creating your own masterpiece! In any case, let’s go through some ways to create an effective résumé when you are an HR professional.

As an experienced HR manager, you likely have exposure to all generalist areas. Be sure that you use your qualifications summary to highlight the breadth of your knowledge. I find that using a paragraph summary of your most notable achievements and experiences, followed by a bulleted list of noun phrases exploring your generalist involvement, often works best for seasoned HR professionals. This strategy allows you to focus on the factors in your background that differentiate you from the competition, while still incorporating all of the appropriate keywords.

Next, be sure to highlight your professional affiliations and/or certifications. As you know, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the leading professional organization for the industry, and highlighting membership reinforces your commitment to continued professional development. If you do have any of their certifications, such as the Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), or Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR), be sure they are highlighted prominently, even adding the credentials after your name at the top of your résumé. These coveted certifications play a key role in differentiating you from other highly qualified candidates.

Next, showcase your accomplishments, adding quantifiers to demonstrate the level you have achieved within your career. There is a big difference between being an HR Manager of a small company and being one for a 5,000-employee organization with multiple sites and a union presence. If the quantifiers work for you, be sure you leverage these to further differentiate yourself from others. I can't stress enough how the accomplishments section will play a key role in your evaluation, so take some time to review what you have done that was over and above your general responsibilities as an HR Manager.

As you noted, the reader of your résumé likely performs the same or similar functions to what you have done in the past. Having said that, you certainly don't need to go into extreme detail about everything you have ever done within the generalist arena. Certainly make a note pertaining to the areas that you have managed, but only go into detail when the efforts in a specific area were out of the normal scope. For example, you wouldn't need to tell the hiring manager that recruiting entailed placing ads, screening résumés, reviewing competencies, and interviewing candidates, as they are all too familiar with the functions entailed within such a role. However, if the recruiting you performed involved utilizing numerous channels, including job fairs, temporary agencies, and recruiters, then you would likely want to note this extensive level of involvement within the arena.

Lastly, when you have developed your résumé, it might be helpful to have a peer or friend read it over. You are going to be more critical than most when it comes to finalizing your résumé, and you don't want that to hinder getting your résumé out there working for you.

Strategic Presentation of One’s Background Key to Success

Dear Sam: I am a 43-year-old father of two who was recently downsized from my engineering job due to a lack of work in the field. I have a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, but have never been able to use it as a plus in my job search.

As I want to branch out or leave the field, how do I update my current résumé that basically lists one type of job with different firms? I attempted to get a career started as a “professional” but ended up backing into the field I have been in for nearly 16 years, almost as an afterthought. Today I worry I have too much experience (i.e., my salary is too high and my experience is too specialized) for the tight job market in my field, but I have no good idea how to market myself for a position outside of it. Call it a midlife or mid-career crisis, but I am stumped as to how to make the next move. – Charles

Dear Charles: I’m sorry to hear you were recently downsized, and I know how incredibly difficult it can be at times to decipher how to market your background, not for the jobs you’ve held, but for the jobs you want.

Get started by figuring out what types of positions you are interested in. As you will need to sell your skills that are transferable to the type of position you want, you have to know what direction you want to take. Once you have identified the direction, print out several job postings you are interested in. Start highlighting common skills and requirements found in these job postings and then cross-reference those with your background. The skills or requirements you share (i.e., those found both in the job postings and in your own background) are the areas in which you need to focus your résumé.

To do this, you could highlight your transferable experience under subheadings using the key areas you find doing the aforementioned activity. Typically, I would place this in a “Select Highlights” section immediately following the qualifications summary. That way, the reader sees your value and the transferability of your skills during the screening process. Alternatively, if the headings idea doesn’t work well, based on what you have identified as the transferable skills, then you could just present a strong qualifications summary positioning you for the jobs you want, or still use a highlights section and not use subheadings if you have difficulty categorizing the items.

In your “Professional Experience” section, also be sure to relate the applicability of your past to your desired future. Doing so will ensure you engage the readers and communicate how your experience supports their needs. Best of luck to you.

Dear Sam: I'm an accounting professional, and the last two positions I've held ended with a layoff. The first was due to lack of work and a downturn in the economy, and the second was as a result of my job being eliminated. I wasn't in these roles very long, so when people glance down to the "Professional Experience" section on my résumé they see 2006-2008 and 2005-2006. Immediately, it sends up red flags that I'm a job hopper. However, this isn't the case, as I explained above. These were situations out of my control. Could you please advise how I should address this so that my résumé doesn't get pitched immediately? – Scott

Dear Scott: I actually don’t think you would be seen as a job hopper, having 1-2 years with the first employer and 2-3 years with the second employer. Many hiring managers have, themselves, been the victim of a layoff, so gone are the days when it is assumed you left a company on your own accord. If you are truly worried about this, you could easily add a brief company description under the company name and before your title. In this description, you could say a little about the company and then a brief mention of the reason you left. I typically advise you don’t mention the reason you left an employer, but if this is bothering you, then you certainly could. Here is an example: Leading manufacturer of widgets with $50M in annual sales; underwent a restructuring in 2006, resulting in a significant downsizing initiative. I think when you do this, you will calm your nerves about being seen as a job hopper, yet not focus too heavily on the reason for your departures.

Dear Sam: I am finishing my master's degree and I am working on my résumé and cover letter to find a new job. I have sent out tons of résumés and have applied for quite a few jobs in the last few months, but I just can't seem to nail down an interview. I think once I get my foot in the door, my interview skills are good enough to get a job, but it's getting that face time that is difficult for me. I have an idea as to what is holding me back from getting an interview, and I wonder if you could provide me with some direction as to how to best handle my scenario.

In 2004, I moved to the state to go to graduate school and I had to take some temporary positions in order to have an income while I was looking for more suitable employment. I have been in my current position for more than a year, but it is a temporary position and I'm not sure I will ever have the opportunity to become full-time. How do I address this on my résumé and cover letter? Should I indicate that it is a temporary position on the résumé or should I explain my situation in the cover letter? I have tried both ways, but it seems that neither has produced the results I'm looking for. I know that it looks like I'm a "job hopper" but that's not the case. I have held several temporary positions over the last 7 years, with 2 of those positions lasting more than one year in length, but I am interested in obtaining a permanent position in the very near future. – Anonymous

Dear Anonymous: I’d start by evaluating what positions really need to be on your résumé. It is likely that you could combine similar positions or completely omit those that were very short term and have little to do with your current objective. By doing this, you will minimize the appearance of being a “job hopper” and focus the hiring manager’s attention on your skills, experiences, and education that qualify you for the job you want. A lot of the time when I work with clients who have held several temporary positions, we combine the positions to present a more “solid” view of their experience. For example:

Agency One / Agency Two / Agency Three (2006-Present)
Administrative Assistant
Placed throughout a portfolio of small, midsized, and large organizations to provide diligent administrative support to a wide range of executive and management personnel.

In addition, be sure to note in your education section that you have worked full-time /part-time while completing your degree program. Congratulations on your upcoming graduate degree!

Shorten Your Job Search with These Strategies

Dear Sam: I recently graduated with a degree in Spanish and a minor in Communication Studies. I have been job hunting for the past three months but have been unsuccessful. My problem is that I have little work experience. How can I make my résumé eye-catching to employers? – Emily

Dear Emily: I wish there was a formula to predict the length of a job search, but the success of each candidate’s search depends on numerous factors. One thing is for sure, though; the better prepared you are, the more likely you are to shorten the length of your search. Selecting an objective for which you are qualified, creating a strong and targeted résumé, sharpening your interviewing skills, and exhausting all search options, will help get your foot in the door and land that job sooner.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes the average length of unemployment is about 5 months; a recent study of more than 400 professionals and executives found a job search took one month for every $20,000 candidates earned in annual salary in their former position. There is no question a job search is a long and often laborious process, and with the thought of months of searching on the horizon, I’m sure you’ll agree taking a proactive approach to preparing for a search is not an option, but a necessity.

Many factors can impact the success and length of your search including selecting realistic objectives and remaining flexible to opportunities, titles, and compensation levels. Keep in mind that some factors are outside of your control, such as the demand in your industry, for your particular skill set, and the personal preferences of each hiring manager. So how do you shorten the length of your search?

Define Your Goal – Be sure you understand your goal, and you clearly identify your transferable skills, as a hiring manager won’t have time to relate past experiences to current interests. Don’t get trapped into creating a one-size-fits-all résumé; instead, define a primary objective and refocus your résumé to meet the needs of secondary goals. As a recent graduate with little or no work experience, you must sell your degree and the coursework you have completed, along with the skills you have demonstrated in the class or during the little experience you may have had as it relates to your objective.

Develop a “Value-Based” Résumé – Your résumé needs to sell your value to a hiring manager. Don’t develop a résumé that simply serves as a narrative of your background. Instead, prioritize engagements, responsibilities, and achievements based on your objective, making sure you are marketing your candidacy effectively and answering the hiring manager’s question of why he or she should interview you. Follow up-to-date protocols in formatting your résumé, beginning with a qualifications summary, not an objective statement. Also, be sure your résumé looks professional and “meaty” and isn’t formatted using an overused template. The summary should tell the hiring manager about your core qualifications, experiences, and achievements that position you to perform in your profession of choice. (Think about team projects you may have led, extracurricular activities you were involved in, or even skills you demonstrated while juggling part-time work and school.) Remember, recent studies estimate the screening process to be as short as 7 seconds, so this summary is critical in getting your foot in the door.

Diversify Your Search – Job boards and newspaper classified ads should always form the foundation of your search, but there are also other methods you can use to expand your search. Networking is a great way to find unadvertised positions or to gain valuable referrals for posted opportunities. If you don’t have an extensive network, think about joining a local professional organization, community group, church organization, or civic league. Don’t be afraid to send a “cold contact” letter asking for an opportunity, regardless of whether one is posted.

Prepare for the Interview – Give your friends and family members your résumé and have them “quiz” you on different aspects of your background. Develop scripts for the questions you have struggled with in past interviews. Record yourself so you can watch your interview and analyze your verbal communication and nonverbal cues. And never turn down an opportunity to interview. The more practice you get, the more confident you will be when the interview for your dream job comes along.

Remain Positive – While this might be easier said than done, it is critical you remain positive during your search. Keeping a good attitude will help maximize your success when you are presented with various opportunities.